Charming is a Victorian Era Harry Potter roleplay set primarily in the village of Hogsmeade, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the non-canon village of Irvingly. Characters of all classes, both magical and muggle — and even non-human! — are welcome.

With a member driven story line, monthly games and events, and a friendly and drama-free community focused on quality over quantity, the only thing you can be sure of is fun!

With a thick mane of dark hair and strong eyebrows, Porphyria doesn’t overly resemble the blonde maiden of Browning’s poem. Which is fine by her, all things considered. Otherwise, she does not consider her features especially remarkable, though does enjoy offering a shark-like smile once in a while. She has hazel-brown eyes, and is right-handed. She’s a little taller than average, at 5’3”, and might have a nice enough figure if her corsets were a little more punishing. The long walks she makes a habit of taking have seen her fairly physically fit, and a history of climbing down the ivy outside her bedroom window in the years before she could apparate sees her surprisingly agile still. She is fond of dresses and robes in startling shades, and quite likes black, too.

History:

1862 | Porphyria is born, the third child - and first daughter - to Eamon and Lowri, upper class Irish sort-of eccentric poets. She is named after Robert Browning’s Porphyria’s Lover (published in 1836, originally as Porphyria), because naming one’s child after a psychopath’s murder victim is always a course of wise parenting. (She’s grown to rather like it, though. Besides, if one is to talk of Browning poems, she could have been Pauline, and what a soul-crushingly pitiful name that is!)

1863 | A year and a bit later, Don Juan is born. (Oh no. A future terror in the making.) As a one-year-old, she does not pay him much mind.

1865 | Christabel is born, a sister!

1867 | Shalott is born, another sister! Porphyria is now old enough to be of the ravenous reading age, and having managed to comprehend her name poem as more than a soothing bedtime story, she performs her first act of magic. (Which is to magically shear off most of her hair one morning, before she knows what she is doing, but clearly lest she give anyone the satisfaction of being strangled to death by it.)

Ozymandias also goes to Hogwarts this year.

1869 | Another sister, Lycoris!

1870 | Endymion goes to Hogwarts.

1873 | Time to go to Hogwarts, herself. Porphyria, very much a product of her parents with an inquiring mind and a penchant for individuality, is sorted into Ravenclaw.

1874 | Ozymandias graduates and Don Juan begins Hogwarts.

1875 | In third year, she adds Ancient Studies, Ghoul Studies and Care of Magical Creatures to her classload.

1876 | Christabel joins them at Hogwarts.

1877 | Endymion graduates.

1878 | Porphyria completes fifth year with a mixed bag of results; she continues with Ancient Studies, COMC, Herbology, Potions and Transfiguration for NEWTs. Shalott joins the Hogwarts crew.

1880 | She graduates with fairly impressive NEWTs, though without much intention to put them to any practical use. That does not mean, however, that Porphyria is amenable to the thought of marriage. Ew @ those dull Jane Austen ideals. Still, everyone seems to think it is a good idea to see her have a season. Which may have boded better had Porphyria actually turned up to her own Coming Out ball. (She gets dragged in from outside eventually, but all she can do is shrug and suppose at least it gave her an aura of mystery.)

The rest of the, er, season, sees a similar level of success. She likes costume events well enough to show up, doesn’t mind paying social calls to friends sometimes, and begrudgingly uses the more boring occasions (and gentlemen) as prime time to daydream and fish for poetic inspiration.

1881 | With nothing but continual - unsuccessful! - prodding to marry upon the horizon in season after season, Porphyria throws herself into proclaiming her will to be a spinster and writing poetry. The occupation of poet: it is surely a family affair, and certainly not one they can complain about! Although she is a raging perfectionist, on the whole Phyri has to conclude she’s quite good, and gets an odd one or two published in a poetry journal.

Don Juan graduates. The ‘Endymion, The Veela and The Hammock’ incident occurs. (Porphyria is both disappointed and Very Relieved not to have witnessed this.)

1883 | Christabel graduates. After the unfortunate loss of her school-era pet owl (barn owl - Wolly; short for Wollstonecraft; after Mary - whose death, though she was fond of the creature, is greeted by more contemplation than mournfulness) Porphyria kidnaps discovers a baby raven and wheedles her parents into letting her keep it. The argument ‘but Charles Dickens had one’ works fairly well, and, well, everyone in the household knows about Byron’s pets. So. Any one of them could be much worse. (She names the raven Pluto.)

1884 | The season over in Hogsmeade is punctuated by plague and fire. Now that, in Porphyria’s opinion, is a much better representation of her feelings on the ‘season’.

1885 | Shalott graduates - and is off to finishing school. Phyri does not envy her in the slightest, and makes a mental note to send her letters and packages and pray for her soul.

Porphyria is still hanging around writing poetry. She is attempting to compile enough to form an anthology, and hopefully publish that one day. The overarching theme will no doubt be ‘death’. She also still has little intention to find herself a husband - she likes to think she has branded lost cause across her forehead well enough by now. She probably wouldn’t say no to a tragic affair with a tortured spirit or a secret courtship with an unsuitable man six years her junior a la the Emily and Robert Browning, nor would she mind ending up living in Italy. But marriage, bah! She’d rather a lover strangle her than settle for that.

Personality:

Restless. Single-minded. Generous. Curious. Goes through phases of quiet and melancholy and general subduedness, and then extreme extroversion, all vivaciousness and loud exclamations and wildness. Likes nature. Provocative. Perfectionist. Bookworm, widely read. Through her father, has fully embraced Romanticism. Imaginative. Irrational. Gleefully gloomy. Has a fascination with all things macabre: tragedy, horror, the grotesque, anything related to death and decay. Can be brusque.

Sample Roleplay Post:

(psst, that's a link to a buzzfeed quiz for your entertainment ;) )

Out of Character

Name:MJ

Percy Shelley, the idealist of the bunch. You are a true intellect and a true thinker. You’re also extremely considerate and compassionate, which makes you confident in your beliefs. You’re constantly thinking about how the world could be better, and how you (and I, and we) could change it. You truly are an advocate anyone or anything would want on their side.

We also have a buddy system. If you are new to Charming, you will be contacted by your assigned buddy within 48 hours. Once initial contact is made, you can decide whether you'd like to continue to participate in the buddy system or if you'd prefer to figure things out on your own.